Breakdown of Στο αμφιθέατρο μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία και στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο.
Questions & Answers about Στο αμφιθέατρο μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία και στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο.
«Στο» is a contraction of «σε» (in/at/to) + «το» (the, neuter singular).
- σε + το αμφιθέατρο → στο αμφιθέατρο
- It literally means “in the amphitheater” / “at the amphitheater”.
In modern Greek, these combinations are almost always contracted:
- σε + το → στο
- σε + τα → στα
- σε + τον → στον
- σε + την → στη(ν)
So «σε το αμφιθέατρο» would sound wrong; you must say «στο αμφιθέατρο».
Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb endings already show the person and number.
- μοιραζόμαστε = we share (1st person plural)
- στηρίζουμε = we support (1st person plural)
So «(Εμείς) μοιραζόμαστε… και (εμείς) στηρίζουμε…»
The εμείς is understood from the verb ending and normally omitted.
You add «εμείς» only for emphasis, for example:
- Εμείς μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία. – We share the books (in contrast to others).
They come from the same verb μοιράζω (to share / to divide), but:
- μοιράζω (active voice) → μοιράζουμε = we share / we divide (something).
- μοιράζομαι (middle/reflexive/reciprocal) → μοιραζόμαστε = we share (with each other), we share between ourselves.
In this sentence:
- μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία suggests mutual sharing, like we share the books among ourselves, often with the idea “I give to you, you give to me.”
If the teacher were distributing books to students, they might say:
- Μοιράζουμε τα βιβλία στους φοιτητές. – We are handing out / distributing the books to the students.
Greek uses the definite article much more than English.
- τα βιβλία = the books (specific group of books)
- βιβλία (without article) = (some) books in a more general / indefinite way.
In this context, «μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία» implies some particular books everyone knows about (for example, the textbooks for this course).
You could say «μοιραζόμαστε βιβλία», but it would sound more like “we share books in general,” not these specific books we have.
This is a common way to say “we support each other”.
- στηρίζουμε = we support
- ο ένας = the one (nominative, masculine singular)
- τον άλλον = the other (accusative, masculine singular)
Literally: “we support the one the other” → we support each other.
Structure:
- Verb: στηρίζουμε (we support)
- Subject (understood): εμείς (we)
- Reciprocal object: ο ένας τον άλλον (each other)
So the Greek pattern στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον corresponds to English “we support each other.”
The expression «ο ένας τον άλλον» is the standard, default reciprocal phrase and is usually used:
- for all-male groups,
- for mixed groups,
- and often even for unspecified groups.
For an explicitly all-female group, you may hear:
- η μία την άλλη (feminine)
- nominative: η μία
- accusative: την άλλη
Examples:
- Οι φίλοι στηρίζουν ο ένας τον άλλον. – The (male/mixed) friends support each other.
- Οι φίλες στηρίζουν η μία την άλλη. – The (female) friends support each other.
In everyday speech, many people still use ο ένας τον άλλον as a neutral default, unless they really want to make the group clearly female.
All of these variants exist, but with slight differences:
- ο ένας τον άλλον – very common; sounds natural and complete.
- ο ένας τον άλλο – also used; slightly shorter, often in casual speech.
- ο ένας ο άλλος – both in nominative; often appears in more formal/written style or in slightly different structures.
In everyday modern Greek, «ο ένας τον άλλον» (or τον άλλο) is the most typical form for “each other” after a verb:
- Αγαπιόμαστε ο ένας τον άλλον.
- Στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον.
κάτι means “something”.
- It is an indefinite pronoun, always neuter and invariable (it doesn’t change form for case or number in modern usage).
So «όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο» = “when something is difficult.”
- κάτι = something
- δύσκολο = difficult (neuter singular, agreeing with κάτι)
Both word orders are grammatically possible, but their feel is a bit different.
όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο (most natural here)
- neutral, standard: when something is difficult.
όταν είναι κάτι δύσκολο
- can sound a bit more emphatic or stylistic: when it is something difficult, with a slight focus on “it is something (especially) difficult.”
In ordinary speech and neutral writing, «όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο» is the most typical order. Greek word order is relatively flexible, but changes can affect emphasis and style.
The Greek present tense covers both:
- We are sharing (right now) – progressive meaning
- We share (usually / habitually) – general truth / habit
So «Στο αμφιθέατρο μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία και στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο.» most naturally expresses a general habit or rule:
- In the amphitheater we share the books and we support each other when something is difficult.
Context would tell you if it’s about right now or about a general situation. Here, it sounds like a description of how the group usually behaves.
αμφιθέατρο (neuter: το αμφιθέατρο) literally comes from “amphi-” (around) + “theatro” (theatre).
In modern Greek it usually means:
- A lecture hall (often large, with tiered seating) in a university or school.
- Sometimes a theatre-like hall in other institutions.
So in this sentence, «Στο αμφιθέατρο…» is best understood as:
- “In the lecture hall…” / “In the auditorium…”
It’s not just any classroom; it suggests a larger, amphitheatre-style space.
Yes, you can, but the nuance shifts slightly.
- ο ένας τον άλλον = each other, strongly emphasizes mutual, personal support.
- μεταξύ μας = among us / between us, more general, can be less personal.
So:
Στο αμφιθέατρο μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία και στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο.
- We support each other (person-to-person).
Στο αμφιθέατρο μοιραζόμαστε τα βιβλία και στηρίζουμε μεταξύ μας όταν κάτι είναι δύσκολο.
(More natural: …και στηριζόμαστε μεταξύ μας…)- We support one another / support ourselves among us; still mutual, but phrased a bit more abstractly.
The sentence in your example is perfectly idiomatic and a very natural way to express close mutual support.